The Book of Never Written Epilogues
by Flamin' Fire Ferret
Summary: A battle you cannot fight with swords/a darker sky that we all look towards/soon all demigods will sleep in the depth/defeat the cause and save them from death! -Rachel, Oracle of the spirit of Delphi. Spoiler Alert: if you haven finished Blood of Olympus, do that first.
1. Emergency Phone Call

Percy chased after the rats like there was no tomorrow. After saving the world from Gaea and defeating the Giants not once, but twice, you would think catching rats were a piece of cake. Nope. Not for Percy. The rats have been raiding his snacks and leaving well-chewed homework all over his dorm.

"Gods of Olympus! What kind of cheap school has rats?" Percy muttered as he swatted at the balls of fur moving around his chair with a broom. His jeans caught on the chair and down he went, sprawling all over the little black pellet-shaped presents the rodents left for him.

"What in Hades is going on in here?" The door to Percy's dorm opened. Annabeth strode in, her blond hair in waves around her shoulders, holding a stack of books. She laughed at the mess on the ground that was her boyfriend. Percy blushed. Two years of dating and he still couldn't stop embarrassing himself.

"Um... I'm taking a nap."

"Oh, Seaweed Brain. Don't tell me you haven't gotten rid of the rats!" She helped him up off the ground. They were still around the same height, which Percy wasn't proud of. But he was still in the lead, standing a few inches above Annabeth.

"Maybe..." Percy tried to straighten his hoodie and sweatpants and hoped he didn't look like a total douchebag. "What are you doing here?"

"You called me to help you on your Algebra, remember?"

"Oh, yeah. Make yourself at home. But guard those books tight. You have no idea how fast the rats can eat through one. Even Grover and Coach can't top them."

Annabeth wanted to punch something. No matter how much she loved Percy, she couldn't deal with the fact that he still didn't know his multiplication tables. Sure, the guy went through Tartarus and saved the world twice. But that didn't mean she was going to let him slack off.

After explaining for the 60th time that it didn't matter why he guy in the book bought 62 watermelons, her phone rang. Demigods weren't supposed to use phones, because it acted like a homing beacon to monsters, but she kept it on her in case of emergencies.

Annabeth picked up her phone. "This is Annabeth Chase. How may I help you?"

"Annie!" Piper's voice blared from the other side of he line. "You've better get back to the camp right now!" The line went dead.

"What's wrong?" Percy asked.

"I think there's some kind of trouble at camp." She replied. "We'd better get back immediately."

Percy's heart nearly thumped out of his throat. He and Annabeth sneaked out of their high school ASAP and caught a taxi to Long Island, New York. He noticed the golden gleam of a giant celestial bronze dragon in the valley when finally made the trek up Half-Blood Hill. The head on the dragon was the unmistakable former masthead of the Argo II. And standing beside the giant gleaming dragon...

"LEO!" Percy forgot about homework, he forgot about monsters, he forgot about anything mythological that might ruin his life. He and Annabeth rushed down the hill at the scrawny, Hispanic kid.

"You're alive!" Annabeth cried.

"You guys worry too much." Leo replied.

"Worry too much?!" Percy exclaimed. "You've been missing for a year, idiot!"

"Has it been that long?" Leo asked. "Well, the Bad Boy Supreme is back from the dead and awesomer than ever!"

Piper, Jason, and Nico were gathered around Leo and another girl. A very familiar face.

"Perseus Jackson." The girl stiffened up at the sight of Percy. He couldn't blame her.

"Calypso." Everyone suddenly got quiet. Three years ago, on a quest in the Labyrinth, he'd accidentally blown a mountain up and landed on Ogygia. Percy had wanted to stay but he had obligations with his demigod duties and there was Annabeth.

"I see the gods had honored your request, even though they were a bit late." Calypso held out her hand. "Thank you."

"No heard feelings?" Percy reached out to shake her hand.

"I guess not." Calypso looked to Annabeth. "Take care of him for me."

Annabeth's face turn red. "Take care...!" She caught herself. "Yeah. I will."

"Where's Hazel and Frank?" Percy asked.

"We contacted Reyna." Jason said. "Hey should be here soon..."

A horse whinnied and the vapor trail from Long Island Sound told Percy that Arion had arrived with his passengers. The horse stopped a few feet from Festus and said a few unpleasant words about traffic in New York.

"Leo!" Hazel cried and jumped off Arion's back, followed by Frank and Reyna. There were a lot of happy tears shed and group hugs consisting of Nico trying to shadow travel away from the mushiness. The group made their way to the Big House. Campers gathered around and congratulations were given. It was the best day Percy had ever had. But then again, he hadn't had many of those.

The Hephestus cabin crowded over Leo like they were his personal body guards. Percy noticed that Nico had been spending a lot of time with the Apollo cabin, especially Will Solace.


	2. Valdez the Awesomeness

**LEO**

Leo was glad to be back with his homies. Nyssa's smile was wider than the smiley faces on her bandaid. The Hephestus cabin seemed so happy. And what's more, he was back with the seven. Chiron announced that there'll be a homecoming party for him tomorrow night, after capture the flag.

"Okay, everyone! Get back to your activities and give Leo some peace!" Chiron said. After a moment of disappointment, the group dissipated.

The demigods of the prophecy, Reyna, Calypso, Nico, and the Hephestus cabin convened in the Big House along with Chiron and the head counselors. Thankfully, Mr. D. was away on Olympus with his "godly duties".

"What happened after the explosion?" Piper asked. "How are you still alive?"

"Boy, Pipes. Straight onto the point already?" Leo exclaimed.

"Yes, Leo. Tell your friends about your epic adventure." Calypso nudged him.

"Alright! Well... There was this big gold ball and someone screaming like a girl..."

"That was probably Octavian." Nico suggested. That boy has changed so much in the last however many years it's been. His skin no longer looked like a reptile's, his teeth were straighter, and the bags under his eyes got smaller. The best thing was, the boy actually talked!

"Wait. Octavian screams like a girl?" Leo tried to clear up.

"He DID scream like a girl." Will pointed out.

"But that's all for the better." Reyna concluded. "Continue."

"I think I actually died." Leo continued. "But thanks to Piper's magic charmspeak, Festus stayed alive and was able to inject the Physician's Cure in my arm and I was as good as new!"

"That dragon is ALIVE?" Nyssa asked. "Is that really safe?"

"Don't worry, sis. He's been fixed up by yours truly." Leo boasted. The Hephestus kids looked doubtful. "Then we broke through the clouds and landed on Ogygia."

"I though no man finds Ogygia twice!" Katie Gardner spoke up.

"Leo's no man." Jason snickered.

"Hey!" Leo crossed his arms. "I fixed up Festus and we flew back to the world. I showed Calypso the world, bought her her first McDonalds, went to the Hunger Games premiere with her and here we are!" He put his arm around Calypso. She was still beautiful. Her caramel colored hair was braided down her back. She had on jeans and a white blouse, simple but yet so attractive.

"Are you still immortal?" Frank asked Calypso.

"I don't think so. I seemed to have gotten taller in the last few months." Calypso answered.

"So," Leo looked to the seven, Reyna, and Nico. "What did I miss while I was epically dying?"

* * *

><strong>NICO<strong>

Nico walked off after the meeting. He wasn't enthusiastic for another group hug.

"You knew he was alive, didn't you?" Will Solace ran up to meet him.

"Maybe." Nico answered.

"Oh, c'mon! Why can't you give me a straight answer for once?" Will asked.

"Oh my Hades, we went over this a million times!" Nico turned around to face Will. "It's just how I am."

"Well, How-You-Are should smile more often. It's good for your health."

"It's been a year, Will. I can shadow travel with no problem, stop worrying about my health!"

"If I don't worry about you, who will?" Will asked. "If you're really okay, shadow travel for me."

"It's bright daylight." Nico pointed out. Will grabbed Nico's arm and his heart stopped for a beat. He was led to the edge of the forest. The trees made the perfect shade for shadow-traveling. Nico felt he was in way over his head, but his stubbornness took over. He concentrated at the shadows, drawing them around his body. The darkness wrapped around Nico like a burrito. Cold wind blew into his face and voices of the dead whispered at him. Then, he was at the other side of Will.

"See? I told you I was alright." With that last phrase, Nico stumbled and fell, but not before Will swiped him up.

"Yeah, Ghost King. A few more months and you might make it all the way to Thalia's pine." Will chuckled. "Forget it. I forbade you to try shadow traveling until you can get those bags out from under your eyes. You own me another few weeks in the infirmary, doctor's orders." He started walking away from the forest, Nico still in his arms.

Nico blushed. "What do you think you're doing? Put me down!"

"It's okay, Neeks. You're not so heavy. In fact, you should eat more." Will said, oblivious to Nico's embarrassment.

"Put me down this instant! I'm the son of Hades!" With that, Nico promptly passed out.


	3. Capture the Flag Part 1

**PIPER**

Piper tightened the straps on her armor. All around her, the campers milled around, chattering and planning strategy for the upcoming game of capture the flag. The seven, Nico, and Reyna had requested that they, and they alone, be on one team, against the whole camp.

"This is a bad idea." Hazel muttered to Frank.

"Don't worry!" Leo exclaimed. "I'll charbroil anyone who dares come close to us!" He burst into flames and most of the campers gave him a wide berth. Calypso laughed.

"So, any magic item will be alright?" Reyna asked.

Piper nodded. "Even your metal dogs are fair game."

"Watch out for the Ares kids though." Jason cautioned. "They tend to get a little violent when the game starts."

"I bet they're not as bad as the First Cohort." Reyna doubted.

"No." Percy walked over with Annabeth. His helmet was crooked and the blue plume sashayed sideways on his head. "But you need to watch out for the head counselor, Clarisse. She's got this electric spear called Maimer..."

"That's lamer." Leo said. Everyone glared at Leo while he laughed. Piper has never heard a more cheesy joke come out of Leo's mouth, and she's heard plenty.

"Jason should take on Clarisse, since he can control the Lightning and stuff." Frank suggested.

"Leo can be the distraction." Piper said.

Leo crossed his arms and the flames extinguished. "Why me, beauty queen? You can just as easily steer them off course with your charmspeak!"

"I don't think so." Annabeth said. "I saw the Stolls running out the camp store with a bunch of earplugs."

"The camp store has earplugs?" Piper asked.

Chiron clattered his hooves against the stone pavement. Calypso rode on his back, serving as medic for any serious injuries that may occur. "Listen up campers. I want this to be a nice, clean game!" Someone snickered at the word "nice". "Anyone who maims another camper will have their dessert privileges taken away for a month! Try not the pulverize the blue team, even though they may pulverize you first." Chiron muttered that last part and everyone laughed. "You have ten minutes to get to your places and set up your defense. At the sound of the conch." Calypso blew the conch horn.

The red and blue helmets separated. Piper followed behind Jason and Annabeth. Running in full battle armor wasn't easy and she almost tripped. Soon, the blue team of nine arrived at a giant pile of rubble named Zeus's Fist. Green mist billowed from he pile of dog poop looking rocks. Piper heard that during the Battle of the Labyrinth, Biares had piled rocks on top of Kâmpe when she stood of the original Zeus's Fist. Now, everyone stayed away from the place in case they start getting spider senses from the poison or grew a extra arm or leg.

Reyna stuck the flag as close to the rocks as she dared. "You guys know the drill?"

"Make a distraction, get the flag, and don't die." Leo said, which was as simple as anyone could put it.

Piper looked at her watch and gulped. "Ten minutes are up." She announced. Just then, the conch horn sounded again.

Leo burst into flames. "Let the games begin!"

* * *

><strong>LEO<strong>

"For Fonzies!" Leo exclaimed. He ran past the creek and into the forest with Frank and Hazel, waving eight pound hammers above his head and catching things on fire.

"Hey!" A tree nymph yelled.

Leo didn't have time to apologize because he came to contact with a few Iris campers. A few knocks on the head with a hammer and the first two were down. The third ran at Leo with a bat (which reminded him of Coach Hedge) and yelled about the colors of the rainbow. Suddenly, a rhino plowed into him and they were down. As soon as Leo took a breath, more campers advanced. There were about two dozen campers versus two highly experienced Romans and one scrawny, Latino Santa's elf who can summon fire. Before Leo could do anything, a pile of valuable jewelry erupted out of the earth and encased the campers in glittery chains. Their luck was holding out! But not for long.

"Hello, brother." Nyssa said and charged with the Hephestus cabin.

* * *

><strong>HAZEL<strong>

Hazel was surprised how much valuable minerals were buried under Camp Half-Blood. She was gaping at the piles of gold when the Hephestus kids appeared. They were all burly, strong, and the exact opposite of their half-brother, Leo Valdez. Hazel wondered why such tough guys had smiley face and does bandaids stuck to their biceps.

"Long time no see." Leo said.

"It's been 15 minutes." Frank commented.

"Whatever." Leo lit up in flames and for a minute Hazel was blinded. "Ready for the ultimate Hephestus Games smack down?"

"We're still here!" Hazel crossed her arms, which was pretty hard to do while holding a Imperial gold weapon.

"Nuff talk." Another burly Hephestus kid said. He raised a giant axe and charged.

A rhino (Frank) plowed into the first guy. Hazel knocked over the second guy, and Leo and Nyssa seemed to have a good sisterly/brotherly bond while they tried to knock each other unconscious. Nyssa was strong but Leo had the speed. He darted around like a excited dog around his owner.

Hazel didn't have much more time to watch he battle. She jabbed and Perrier with the Hephestus kids. It wasn't just them anymore. Other campers from the other cabin had joined the fight. A Iris kid here, the child of Hermes there, Demeter kids attacking her with corn huskers. But the Greeks were all offense with no defense. Hazel plowed through them like dominoes. Frank changed shape so fast it gave the campers vertigo. He appeared at her side, human again.

"Hazel, go on. Valdez and I can handle them. You need to play your part."

"Are you sure you'll be okay?" Hazel asked, even though she worried more for the red team than for her own.

"We'll be fine. You need to go help Percy and Nico." Frank changed shaped again and roared in the shape of a lion.

"Okay." Hazel blushed as she kneed a kid in the crotch and ran from the battle.


	4. Capture the Flag Part 2

**JASON**

Jason thought Percy was joking, but apparently Clarisse's electric spear was actually named Maimer.

"Put your weapons down." Piper had told them.

"Sorry." Clarisse said. "I can read lips but I can't exactly hear you. Earplugs." She pointed to her ears and grinned wickedly. "Now die!" She flicked her wrist and the red team advanced.

"Good luck" Annabeth told him an developed herself into the fight.

Piper sighed. "Whoever had the bright idea of inventing earplugs, I'll skewer them." She charged.

He flew (literately flew) up. Jason could see a combination of Hermes, Ares, Athena, Hebe and Nike kids. He flipped his imperial gold coin and charged into the scene with his sword.

It wasn't hard to knock out a bunch of the Hermes and Hebe kids. Most of them were new or too lazy to train well in their combat lessons. The Stolls were good, but he'd sent them, and a few of their siblings, sprawling down a hill. The Nike kids were annoying. They yelled for victory and first place awards, and they were competitious. But he thought all they were going to get a participation award when a few of them got stuck in a tree, curtesy of Jason.

The Ares kids were much tougher, but then again, they were the children of the reckless war god. He locked over one of the Ares campers when a sudden weight pounced on top of him and almost flattened Jason into a demigod pancake. He held up his sword just as Clarisse brought down her spear.

"Nice going, Grace, but Maimer's going to skewer you like a shish-kabob!" Clarisse growled. Jason tried to push the daughter of Ares off him as her spear made contact with Jason's arm. Now he knew what it was like when he accidentally shocks one of his friends. His left arm went all tingly and numb.

"You named your spear Maimer?" Jason asked. He jabbed his sword at Clarisse and she had to roll away so she didn't get stabbed. Jason flew up but Clarisse held on to his legs. He kicked at her, but she wouldn't let go. You know how little kids hang onto their parents' legs when they didn't want them to leave? That's how Jason felt. Clarisse threw her spear and it whizzed past his head. That knocked Jason off balance and the two of them tips bled through the air like a mini human tornado. Jason flew over the creek and gravity took its toll. Clarisse fell into the water, along with Jason's shoe. Jason flew back to the fight leaving Clarisse in the creek, half soaked and yelling some very nice words.

* * *

><p><strong>REYNA<strong>

Reyna's dogs took care of most of the campers that tried to take the flag. It was just her luck. She got to stand around and guard the flag while everyone else got to bust out moves and get in the action. Maybe that was because she could take down half the camp with one hand tied behind her back.

"This game is a bore." Reyna muttered to herself.

"Speak for yourself!" A tree nymph said. "This is the most excitement we've had in these woods in years! And it's getting to the best part! Some dude got shocked and another guy caught on fire!"

"That's probably Leo. He had a whole cup of coffee before the game." Reyna explained. "It was bound to happen."

"He's a hottie." The tree nymph exclaimed. "Do you think he would notice..."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, but he's got a ex-immortal as a girlfriend. You probably don't want to mess around."

"Oh." For a second, the nymph looked genuinely disappointed, but that was before another few campers bursts through the foliage and the nymph disappeared into her tree.

"I told you she'd be here." Someone whispered. Reyna didn't recognize the campers, but their radiance of beauty give her the hint that they were Aphrodite children. Reyna's dogs growled and prepared to attack.

"Stay away dogs. This isn't your fight." One of the girls said. Arum and Argentum growled but backed into the trees.

"Charmspeak." Reyna concluded.

"Piper told us you were smart. But enough standing around." She pulled out a knife and charged Reyna.

Reyna was surprised but that didn't stop her. Years of legion training was a bit too much for a young love-goddess girl. Reyna sidestepped, grabbed the girls arm, and twisted. By the end of the action, seven campers were fleeing from Reyna.

Reyna grinned and looked down at her belt where her sword had been sheathed all this time. Maybe it was an unfair advantage for the blue team to have Reyna on their side.

* * *

><p><strong>PERCY<strong>

With Reyna guarding the flag and Jason, Piper, Hazel, Annabeth, Frank, and Leo distracting the campers, there was a clear path for Percy and Nico to get to the flag. Or they thought.

"This seems too easy." Nico pointed out. That's when the first volley of arrows launched themselves into the sky and rocketed towards them.

"Thanks, Nico, for pointing that out to the other team." Percy grumbled. He held up his shield like an umbrella.

"You're welcome." Nico replied. As soon as the arrows ended, a fog rose up, distorting Percy's vision. He uncapped his pen, Riptide, and it sprang to its full form, a celestial bronze sword the length of Percy's arm and wicked sharp.

"The Hecate kids must have whipped this up." Percy observed.

"Just keep going." Nico said. They kept running toward what they hoped was the red team's flag.

"Percy! Nico!" Someone yelled. The mist churned and a figure appeared next to them. Hazel Levesque.

"Hi brother. Hi Percy. Need help?" She asked. She was 14 now, and looking fierce in her battle getup.

"We need a way to travel around in this mist." Percy said.

"That better not be the only thing you're looking for." Hazel said. "They wouldn't be so naive to just use the Mist. There'll be a lot of magic spells and boundaries involved. I just got you past the first level, and it took a lot of concentration. The flag will be protected well."

"Indeed it will." A voice from the fog said. Percy squinted and saw a few dozen campers led by Will solace. "But you won't get close enough to even try to get through the boundaries."

"We'll see about that." Nico said.

"Is that a challenge?" Will asked.

"It sure is."

* * *

><p><strong>NICO<strong>

Nico's sword clanged against Will's. It was hard to see with the fog billowing around. Another Apollo kid fell and Nico tripped over him. He pushed himself back up and a arrow whizzed past his head. The fog must be throwing the archers off.

"Nico, go for the flag with Hazel. I've got this." Percy yelled from somewhere to his right. The sound of the creek roared louder. Hazel grabbed Nico and they ran.

"A maze." Hazel exclaimed under her breath. "Why are they so addicted to mazes?"

"How far?" Nico asked.

"A few more levels. I'm afraid this won't be as easy as it looks so keep on your guard." Hazel informed.

"This is a game!"

"It's all the same to a Roman."

Something that sounded like a giant wave roared behind them. Nico had a feeling that Percy had just given the Apollo kids a shower. Hopefully Will is alright.

_Snap out of it!_ Nico told himself. _Will's health is not your priority. He can take care of himself!_

Hazel strayed off the main path and led Nico into the forest. Nico watched the path in front of him intently, in case he tripped on a root and accidentally impaled himself with his sword. They took sharp turns as if navigating a series of hallways, even though Nico couldn't see anything.

"It's the Mist." Hazel told him as she pulled him around another invisible turn. "If you'd kept walking, you would've fallen into a pit of snakes."

"Fun." Nico gasped for breath. "Are we there yet?"

"Almost. Duck."

"What?" Hazel pulled Nico down as flaming arrows flew over their heads.

"How's it going with Frank and your time at Camp Jupiter?" Nico asked.

"Oh." Hazel seemed to blush at the mention of Frank. "It's pretty good. We have a larger set of temples thanks to Jason. The Romans like Frank as Praetor well enough and Octavian wasn't too missed. How's your stay at Camp Half-Blood working out for you?"

"No regrets." Nico answered. "Everyone's pretty nice. The Hades cabin still looks like a vampire hideout but I think I'm going to keep the decorations. I've been traveling all over the underworld and mortal world."

"Looking for the reincarnation of Bianca?" Hazel asked. After so many years, the subject was easier for Nico to talk about. But he still felt a burst of sadness at the sound of her name.

"Yeah. Hades won't tell me anything and it's driving me crazy." Nico paused as they arrived at a halt. He saw the red team's flag a few yard away but Hazel looked hesitant.

"What is it?" Nico asked.

"There's no one guarding the flag. It seems too easy."

"I bet it does." A voice from behind said. A sword headed for Hazel's arm. Nico acted on instinct and blocked the blade. A body swiped across his peripheral. Hazel flew to intercept it. The some of the Apollo kids had been in hiding, the Hecate cabin shrouded them in mist to keep them from being noticed.

"Ahhhh!" Shrill battle cries were taken up.

"Eat my arrows!" Someone yelled.

"Get the flag!" Hazel yelled and engaged herself in a group of Apollo guys. A girl tried to take Nico down but he kicked her down and ran for the flag. Someone grabbed Nico's leg and he went down. He looked at his feet to find Will Solace, grinning like an idiot.

"Nowhere to go now, death boy."

"Oh really?" Nico concentrated on the shadows around him. Drawing them around his body. The world went pitch black and suddenly Nico was at the feet of the flag.

"And don't call me death boy!" Nico grabbed the flag and shadow traveled back to Zeus's fist.


	5. Doctor's Orders

**REYNA**

Reyna almost jumped out of her armor when Nico materialized at her feet.

"What in Neptune...?" Reyna said. Then she noticed he red flag wrapped in Nico's fist.

"Hi." Nico pushed up from the dirt. He waved the flag at her and the unmoved blue flag behind her. "See you've kept our flag safe. How many people did you hit in the head this time?"

"You can shadow travel again." Reyna tried to keep her surprise down. Sure the guy was tough. He was only fourteen when he shadow traveled the giant Athenos Parthenos, Reyna, and Coach Hedge (their violence-passionate chaperone) all the way from Greece to New York, fighting monsters and barely getting any sleep. But his post-war conditions were pretty bad. Reyna had never seen anyone whose skin looked so translucent. Somehow Nico had found the strength to get his Pluto... Hades powers back again.

"Yeah. Pretty nice right? I've been practicing." He smiled and Reyna no longer saw the dark, lonely son of Hades but a child, eager to please his elders. She couldn't help but love the change.

Before long, the scattered campers were informed and led back to the pavilion where The blue team was rewarded for winning the game. Reyna wanted to congratulate Nico, but seeing how he's already surrounded by many campers (some soaking wet and some with singed hair) she smiled and walked away.

* * *

><p><strong>NICO<strong>

"Hey!" Will ran after Nico after the game, after everyone left to go to the campfire. Nico still felt giddy. He had managed to shadow travel a good distance without passing out. Though now he felt a sting of guilt. He knew ignoring a doctor's advice wasn't the smartest move, especially when that doctor went by the name of Will Solace.

"What?" Nico asked. He wore a golden laurel on his head, which looked strange with his entourage of black clothing. For some weird reason, Nico didn't mind.

"I told you not to shadow travel just yesterday. And what did you do?"

"I shadow traveled." Nico replied and yawned. "Yell at me all you want tomorrow, Solace, but now's not time time..."

Will got angry. He grabbed Nico by the wrist and pulled him back. Nico turned with his arms crossed. "Now is the perfect time!" Will said. "There's no one around. No need to get embarrassed of me yelling at you." He put his hands in his pockets. "I'm trying to look out for you, okay? You promised me that you'd try to let people befriend you, but you still isolate yourself every chance you get. You go around shadow traveling even though I told you not to. I'm not just the doctor. I'm your friend too! And when you break your promises, it hurts me!" Will took a breath and took Nico's hand. Nico stared at their hands. His heart has never beaten faster or louder. He wondered if Will had noticed. "I'm glad you won the game tonight, but please, I need you to keep yourself safe. Don't go doing your Hades stunts again until you are completely healed."

The son of Hades stared at Will in shock. Will's face darkened in a patch of red, as if he regretted his harsh words.

But then Nico nodded. "I'm sorry." He said. "I didn't know my actions were affecting you this way. If it makes you feel better, I'll stay in the infirmary for the whole weekend."

Will grinned. "And you better take those pills seriously also."

"Doctor's orders?" Nico asked.

"Doctor's orders."

* * *

><p><strong>HAZEL<strong>

Hazel smiled at Frank as they dipped below the clouds and spotted the Roman camp. She was glad that Leo had made it back to Camp Half-Blood alive and well with his new girlfriend. But Hazel, Frank, and Reyna had duties back at Camp Jupiter and they can't leave a city of Romans along for too long without either of their praetors. As soon as they landed, officers arrived, reporting the status and problems of the camp. Being a praetor is a honorable job, but sometimes Hazel wished that Frank would have some more free time to spend with her.

"Sorry, Hazel. Our hot chocolates will have to wait." Frank said. "There's some complications over at the second cohort."

"No problem." Hazel replied and took Frank's hand. She's getting more used to the romantic ways of the modern age, thanks to Piper. "I'll go report to Dakota and see what he needs me to do to fill in my free time."

"I told Taylor to reserve a seat at the café for seven. Can you..." Frank blushed in the cute way he always did whenever he asked Hazel out on a date. She had to admit it was endearing.

"Meet you there?" Hazel finished for him. "No problem." She waved to him and made her way to the stables. Every week around this time, it was the fifth cohort's job to clean out the stables.

"Hazel!" Dakota exclaimed. He looked sober enough this morning, though his lips were stained with the traces of red cool aid. Hazel worried what it would be like when he turn 21 about a year or so. She didn't know if she should laugh or cry at the thought.

"How are things going, Dakota?" Hazel asked.

"Frankly," Dakota laughed, as he does every time he said that word around Hazel or Frank. "Everything's pretty normal. None of the other cohorts wants to take the job of stable cleaning, so we're still here." He gestured at the large group of teenagers attacking the hay with less-than-enthused enthusiasm.

"Who in their right mind doesn't want to clean up cow poo?" Hazel asked. A few of her legion-mates laughed around her. She picked up a shovel and stood to attention. "So, where do you want me to start?"

* * *

><strong>JASON<strong>

After the war and Leo's magical return, it didn't seem like life could ever be normal again. But it was, or as normal as a demigod's life could get. Life couldn't be better for Jason. He's got all his friends, an enjoyable job (though some of the gods wouldn't stop pestering him to get their temples flat screen TVs or a giant chocolate fountain), and a beautiful girlfriend. Even the teachers at his New Rome collage didn't mind him missing a few classes, as long as he brings souvenirs of dead monster bits from his trips between the camps.

"Earth to Jason!" Piper's face appeared above where he laid, blocking out the sun.

Jason sat up and yawned. "Hey, Pipes."

Piper pushed his glasses up to the bridge of his nose and kissed him. He never thought waking up from a nap would be so rewarding. Piper drew back and smirked. "Don't look so surprised, Sparky. I AM your girlfriend."

"Are you really?" Jason exclaimed. "I thought you were Aphrodite herself!"

That earned Jason another kiss. "Careful, Jason. Aphrodite herself just might turn her daughter into a frog out of jealousy."

"Then I guess we'll have to make some changes to the Princess and the Frog story."

"OTP!" Leo shouted and ran down the hill whooping, with Calypso in hot pursuit.

"Leo be nice!" Calypso shouted. They bounded past Piper and Jason at breakneck speed, both smelling like motor oil.

"I've got to admit, they're cute together." Piper said. Jason nodded. Leo and Calypso had so much in common that it was scary.

"She's so different from the other gods and goddesses. You can hardly tell she was once immortal." Jason commented. He looked down to see a small bag in her hand. "What's that?"

"It's Hedge's baby's birthday present." Piper said. "Don't tell me you forgot the party!"

"Okay, then, I won't tell you."

"Jason!" Piper pushed Jason's arm.

"Sorry! When was it again?"

"It's in a hour!"

"Oh, right."

"I'll just say it's from both of us and scold you later." Piper said.

"Can we forget the scolding part?"

"No."


	6. Beginning of the End

**Hey guys! Sorry the time between each update is so long. School is really busy right now and all my teachers just decided to assign projects all at the same time. Thank you guys for the comments. I'm glad you enjoy my fanfic!**

**P.S. I'm sorry if the next few chapters destroys your soul. I swear I didn't mean to... Well... I kinda do. MWAHAHAHA㈴0**

**ENJOY!**

* * *

><p><strong><strong>NICO<strong>**

"One year ago, on this day," Will sipped at his drink. "I delivered my first baby."

"Ew." Nico muttered.

"Well, not _my_ baby, but _a_ baby." Will corrected.

The Big House rec room had been redecorated by the Aphrodite and Demeter cabin. Blue and pink streamers bobbed around the ceiling. The ping-pong table had been filled with snacks, pulled to the side by the fireplace, underneath Seymour. Bored campers threw chips and sausage pieces for the magically alive stuffed leopard head. How it digested its food? Nico didn't want to know. Nico looked around for familiar faces. Hazel had to go back to the Roman camp with Frank and Reyna so they missed the party. Piper and Jason seemed to be late, which wasn't like Piper, but maybe Jason was to blame. Percy and Annabeth stood over the cradle at the middle of the room, entertaining the satyr baby. Nico didn't like parties or babies, but he figured it was rude to decline. Anyways, the Demeter cabin could make some mean chocolate chip cookies.

When everyone arrived, the groups of invited campers began a game of baby bingo. Nico stared at his card of unfamiliar baby utilities. "What the heck is this stuff?" He asked Annabeth, which wasn't helpful since she started pointing at each item and naming off unfamiliar baby utilities. Finally, he threw down his card, grabbed a plate of chocolate chip cookies, and headed outside to the back porch.

The back porch faced out into he strawberry fields. It was dark enough that the strawberry-taming satyrs were either sleeping or at the party. The shadows made Nico feel powerful. He wanted to shadow travel away... China maybe... but decided against it. Will was still inside, and he didn't want to disappoint him again.

The back door opened and he heard laughter. Will walked over and grabbed a cookie. "You missed baby bingo." He said.

"I didn't understand it."

"Well, I won."

"Are you waiting for me to congratulate you?"

"Actually, I was wondering where the desserts went, Cookie Monster."

"You wanted me to eat more."

"You still look like death!"

"I am death!"

"You're the child of the boss of Death."

"Same difference!"

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"I don't know! Ask Hades. He made me this way."

"If you don't want me around then I'll just go back." Will's shadow disappeared from the porch and Nico heard the creek of the screen door open.

"Wait." Nico grabbed will's arm and dragged him back from the door. "After losing my sister and communicating only with the dead for so many years, I'm pretty rusty on talking with regular people. And I've never really had a real friend besides Bianca."

"Woah, dude, you've never had a friend before?" Will exclaimed. "No wonder..."

"It's natural. When you're a son of Hades, everyone tends to skirt around you."

"What about me?"

"What?"

"We've known each other for a year. It's time you started calling me a friend."

"Okay... Friend." The word felt strange on Nico's tongue.

"Great." Will beamed. "Now, my friend, let's get inside before everyone eats all the food."

* * *

><p><strong>PERCY<strong>

Percy was lounged on the couch and Annabeth battling the Pac-man console when Rachel dropped her drink and doubled over. On instinct, Percy grabbed Rachel and set her on the couch. Annabeth abandoned her Pac-man position and the machine pinged a minor melody, signaling that the game was lost.

Green mist spilled out of her mouth and filled the cave. Percy put his arm around Annabeth and knew that the worst was about to happen. The no good, future telling oracle inside Rachel was about to spew another magical poem that was going to destroy lives and kill people. How wonderful.

"Perseus Jackson."

"No." Annabeth breathed. "No, no, no, no! They can't possibly make you..."

"A battle you cannot fight with swords/a darker sky that we all look towards/soon all demigods will sleep in the depth/defeat the cause and save them from death!" The green mist sucked back into Rachel with a POP! and she flopped sideways, unmoving.

For a moment Percy and Annabeth stood there in shock. Then, Annabeth took a deep breath and ran out of the cave sobbing. A moment later he heard the murmurs of a crowd gathered outside and soon Chiron appeared at the cave entrance with Annabeth.

"Chiron..." Percy began. The centaur put up his hand for silence.

"We'll talk about what happened later. Let's get Rachel to the infirmary." Percy just nodded in shock and helped place Rachel on Chiron's back. He didn't want to think about what this meant, for him, for the campers, and ultimately, his future with Annabeth.

It seemed that the whole camp was gathered on the hillside outside Rachel's oracle cave. The campers moved aside to create a path for Chiron but swarmed in on Percy and Annabeth, asking questions that couldn't be answered. At least not here, not now.

"What happened?"

"Why is Annabeth crying?"

"Was it another Prophecy?"

"How can the gods be so cruel?"

"Will there be a quest?"

"Move aside!" Piper yelled. Everyone obeyed immediately. Piper, Jason, Nico, and Leo ran up to Percy and Annabeth and surrounded them like bodyguards. Percy kept his arms around Annabeth all the way down to the Big House. If the prophecy pertained to him specifically, he may not have much more time to spend with her, if he has any time left.

* * *

><p><strong>PIPER<strong>

There was no play around at the council meeting. The counselors sat around the ping pong table in grim expressions, surprisingly quiet for a group of ADHD kids. Chiron rolled inside, disguised in his wheelchair. The room quieted and everyone looked expectantly at Percy and Annabeth. Annabeth's eyes were swollen and red and her mouth was in a thin line as if she was trying hard not to cry. After all that the seven have gone through, none of them had ever expected to see Annabeth cry.

"Percy." Chiron said. "Can you please tell us what happened?"

Percy stood up. "Rachel had a prophecy." Piper was surprised. Ever since the Giant war, the power of prophecy didn't work. The oracle hadn't spoken through Rachel in a year. And finally, when everyone was settled down and life was great, the spirit of Delphi had come to take that all away. Everyone stared intently at Percy as he recalled Rachel's word.

"So we're all going to die?" Katie Gardner exclaimed she, also, seemed on the verge of crying. Travis Stoll patted her arm and held her hand.

"Unless Percy defeats the "cause", whatever or whoever that is." Clarisse pointed out.

"You're all going to let this fall onto Percy's shoulders?" Annabeth was incredulous.

"We can't let him do this alone." Jason said. Piper nodded in agreement. They've gone through too much to let percy bear this prophecy alone.

"No." Chiron replied. He sounded old and frazzled. "But since the spirit of Delphi specifically mentioned his name, we can't just ignore his importance."

"Percy's been in enough of this." Annabeth growled. "Isn't surviving Tartarus enough?"

"If he has anything to say about it, let him say it to the gods." Clarisse glared at Annabeth.

"I'm still here." Percy muttered.

"But a battle that can't be fought with a sword..." Lou Ellen wondered. "Magic, maybe?"

"Can this be more vague?" Connor Stoll asked.

"This sounds different than most prophecies." Piper observed. "At the end, it sound like that the oracle is pleading for us to defeat the cause and save everyone. It doesn't know what's going to happen."

"Exactly." Leo said. "Maybe the oracle is malfunctioning. I mean, the thing hasn't said a word for a year, it's bound to be a bit rusty."

"See? Leo believes that we don't have to worry about anything, and so do I." Clarisse stood up. "Let's just get on with our lives and..." Clarisse gasped and clutched at her chest then fell to a fit of coughing. A few of the campers stood to pat her on the back.

"Is she choking?" Leo asked.

"Solace, do the Heimlich!" Nico yelled.

"She's not choking." Will Solace sounded scared. Then, with one last cough, a puddle of red fell to the ping pong table and Clarisse fell to the ground.


	7. Thinking About the What Ifs

**FRANK**

Frank almost spilled his hot chocolate when the Iris message came. So far the date had gone well. He and Hazel had a nice dinner of pizza and spaghetti and went window shopping at the New Roman Mall. They'd decided to get some hot chocolate before the movie when Piper's face had materialized on the café counter amidst a sheen of rainbows.

"Hello, Piper!" Hazel exclaimed.

"What's up?" Frank asked. Piper looked worried. There were sounds of coughing in the background.

"Has anything... Weird... Been going on?" She asked.

"What do you mean by weird?" Frank asked.

"You know... People coughing up blood and falling on the ground... That kind of weird."

"What?!" Hazel choked on her hot chocolate and Frank patted her on the back.

"So you guys are having problems too?" Frank asked. He thought back to that morning when he arrived at the camp. Reyna and he had gotten reports of trouble in the second cohort. When they got there, about a dozen demigods were coughing up blood and a few more unconscious.

"Frank! What do you mean?" Hazel exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"Some kind of sickness or disease is spreading over the demigods." Piper explained. "It seems to only affect us. None of the satyrs or nymphs who had interacted with the sick are fine, but campers are going down by the dozens. The Apollo kids are overlooking the situation, but this is beyond their medical abilities. Nectar and Ambrosia doesn't seem to work."

"Have you tried Unicorn powder?" Frank asked. "It seems to smooth over the coughing."

"No, we don't exactly have unicorns. Can you send some over?"

"I'll assign someone to deliver the powder to you." Frank promised.

"Thank you." Someone shouted out Piper's name in the background. "I've got to go."

"Okay." Frank said. "Get some sleep. You look like you need it."

"I'm not sure if I can at the moment, but thanks for the thought." The rainbow dissipated and left a Frank with a very annoyed Hazel.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?" Hazel asked, crossing her arms.

"I didn't want to worry you." Frank said. "Anyways, the sick have all been quarantined. There's nothing to worry about."

Hazel sighed. "Just promise to keep yourself safe, alright? I don't need to see you coughing and dying."

Someone ran down the steps and stood to attention beside their table. "Praetor Frank Zhang."

"That's me." Frank answered. What was it now? "Report."

"A member of the fifth cohort has shown signs..." He glanced at Hazel nervously. "Of... You know."

"Who?" Hazel inquired.

"Dakota."

* * *

><p><strong>JASON<strong>

The news of the disease carried through the camp in a matter of minutes, and then the people started dropping. The infirmary was stuffed full of sick kids. The younger ones cried. The older kids just laid still on their mats and moaned. Everyone was coughing. Jason passed the first bunk that was ever occupied by a patient of the sickness. Clarisse's eyes were closed, her breathing shallow. Chris Rodriguez held her hand as he napped on a chair. They had warned him that the disease was contagious, but he wouldn't budge.

"You will be fine." Piper coaxed at a 10 year old kid. "How about you take a nap?" The kid nodded and closed her eyes. The magic washed over Jason in a wave of fatigue. The bottle of water fell out of his hand and his eyelids felt heavy. Piper walked over to him and picked up the water.

"Snap out of it, Jason." Piper said tiredly. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Right." Jason blinked and took the water. He handed it to a nearby camper who was coughing himself to death. "How many more are there now?"

"Fifty-two." Piper whispered. "Give or take."

"Great." Jason sighed. "Any day I'm going to drop down dead too."

"Hey, don't say that! There has been no fatalities, and I will not let any happen." She grabbed Jason's hand and kissed him on the cheek, which woke him up a little. "Stay strong, superman. You're not getting sick on my watch."

"Okay." Jason said.

They burned their first shroud that day. It was for a certain child of Ares.

"No fatalities, Pipes?" Jason kicked at the Zeus statue in his cabin. "Totally."

* * *

><p><strong>ANNABETH<strong>

"A battle you cannot fight with swords. That must be the Demigoditus." That was the name given to the sickness.

Annabeth mulled over the prophecy, pacing back and forth in the Poseidon cabin. Percy laid on his bunk, hugging the new panda pillow pet Annabeth got him for a late birthday present. Technically they were breaking a camp rule, but with the chaos of the Demigoditus, it didn't matter.

"You're doing it again." Percy said.

"Sorry." Annabeth sat down on the edge of Percy's bunk and took his hand. They'd been through so much, percy had been taken away from her countless times, and now the fates had cut yet another string and made their lives complicated, again. "But can't you see how important this is? We've got to figure something out! The fate of the whole camp, not to mention Camp Jupiter and the rogue demigods floating out there, are in your hands. Rachel said your name. Yours." Annabeth got up, paced around the room three more times, and sat down again. "I'm going to figure out a way to get you out of this alive, with or without your help."

Percy sat up and took Annabeth's hand. "I know that it seems like I don't care, but I've been thinking about this all day, everyday since Rachel said it. I'm going to try really hard to stay alive for you. But whatever happens, know that I love you." He kissed her and squeezed her hand.

"Whatever happens..." Annabeth muttered. "Gods, seaweed brain." She kissed him back and tried not to think about the what ifs.

* * *

><p><strong>LEO<strong>

Leo was in Bunker 9, hammering at a piece of celestial bronze as Festus snored beside him. Calypso walked in and almost tripped on a random lever.

"Leo! I told you to clean the place up!" She jumped over a pile of scrap metal and placed a cup of coffee on top of Buford the three legged table.

"Sorry, sunshine." Leo said and kissed her on her forehead before returning to his forge. "I'll do it later."

"Which means you'll do it never." Calypso crossed her arms. "That one girl from the Ares cabin just died from Demigoditus."

"Great." Leo sighed. "I show up and people starts dropping dead."

"Di immortales, Leo. Get over yourself." Calypso patted Festus on the head and he made machanic ticking sounds as if purring. "Things like this have happened before. Sooner or later the virus will die and things go back to normal again. It's probably a stupid idea of one of the gods to get their children back on quests and start entertaining themselves again."

"Sure." Leo nodded. Silently he prayed to Hephestus. He knew his dad didn't know much about medicine, but still he was a god. Maybe Will Solace or one of the nymphs who was more practiced in nature healing could whip up some berry juice or a special salad that can get rid of Demigoditus. It may not be realistic, but Leo's life has been all but realistic. Since now, Leo had been able to laugh about, punch at, run from, or even burn away his problems. Not anymore. What can he do? The worse he'd been sick was that one time when he had the flu. He didn't know anything about sickness or medicine, but he did know his: curing Demigoditus is as impossible as curing cancer or getting oil to sit below water.

He looked over at Calypso who was bent over a pile of scrap metal, organizing the different types of material. What if Calypso gets Demigoditus? Leo just got her back. He wasn't going to let anything happen. He laid his tools down and started walking towards the exit of Bunker 9. Festus creaked a question. Where are you going?

"I'm going to find a cure ." Leo answered.


	8. Everyone's Gonna Die Yay

**PERCY**

Percy welcomed sleep gladly. His nightmares no longer scared him, for his life was already a giant nightmare. He dreamed about the good old days when he battled the titan Kronos. Everything was so much simpler. All he had to do was kill whoever wanted him dead. But now he had nothing to do, no one to hack at with Riptide. Demigoditus was going to kill he whole demigod nation. He might lose Annabeth again. And his time he will not get her back.

"There is another way." A voice whispered to him in his unconsciousness.

"No there isn't." Percy said to his unconsciousness. "Apollo kids know nothing. The gods aren't helping. Clarisse is dead. What else is there?"

"There is a cure." The voice said. "But will you do anything to keep Annabeth alive?"

"Anything."

A woman appeared in his dreams. Her face looked like it had seen better days and battered wings dragged behind her when she moved. "Perseus Jackson." The woman said. "I have the cure for your... Demigoditus. But I need you to perform a task for me."

Percy's heart sank. Here's some random goddess, appearing in his dreams, turning Percy into another pawn. But Annabeth...

"What do you want me to do?" He asked.

"Pull the camps apart." She sneered, making her face contort so it looked like she was in pain. "Create devastation and chaos. Once I'm satisfied, you will have your cure."

"How do I know that you'll ever be satisfied?"

"I swear in the river Styx that once you've done your part, I will give you your cure. But you only have a week."

Thunder boomed, as always after someone swears on the Styx. Percy was satisfied. It didn't matter the the demigod nation will die. He needed to keep Annabeth safe, at any cost.

"Who exactly are you?" Percy asked.

"You have to figure that out on your own." She exploded in a mushroom cloud and Percy woke up with a golden apple on his lap.

If he was to cause as much destruction as possible, then he should get to it right away. Percy couldn't find paper so he broke out Riptide and wrote a note on the apple and left it on his pillow. Hopefully Annabeth would find it.

* * *

><p><strong>NICO<strong>

Nico ran around the camp, looking for Will Solace. The Demeter kids helping in the infirmary were asking for him, but Nico couldn't find him anywhere. He checked the Apollo cabin twice, searched bit by bit in the forest with Mrs. O'Leary, and plowed through the camp a few more times. Will had been missing for two days now, and Nico was really worried. Finally he resorted to using his Hades powers. He stepped into the woods and closed his eyes. The ground cracked and skeleton warriors climbed out. Then he pulled at the shadows around him and felt his body dissolving, until someone grabbed his arm and pulled Nico out of his trance.

"What in Apollo's sun chariot are you doing? I said you can shadow travel, that doesn't mean you need to summon the whole undead army! Gods of Olympus, Di Angelo, are you really that thick?"

"Shut up, Captain Sunshine." Nico growled. He was a bit giddy inside, for he knew that using his powers would make Will angry. "Where in the world have you been? The whole camp is looking for you! They need you to help them to..."

"I'm not going to be of much help for long." Will pulled his shirt collar down a bit to reveal a rash on his chest. "Soon I'll be coughing up my guts."

"No." Nico said. "You can't give up!"

"It's inevitable." Will said. "Sooner or later I'll be..." He coughed, stopping himself mid-sentence.

"No." Nico repeated. The skeletons around Nico stared at Nico in shock, then dissipated into a whirlwind of dust, leaving Nico alone with Will. "You're such an idiot! All this time, you've been bugging me, not giving up on my problems. Well, II'm not going to give up on your problems either. If you want to die, die heroically! Don't cower in the woods fearing Death! Help find the cure and try to get to Elysium." Nico felt like he needed to do something. Walk, punch a tree, kill some monster. Anything to keep him from thinking about the inevitable. If Will has Demigoditus, he'll only have a few weeks. If he doesn't spend those weeks well, he's going to end up as a wandering soul, floating around Asphodel without purpose. And Nico didn't want that to happen. He needed to do something to keep his mind off those thoughts, but Will's hand was still on his arm.

Without thinking, he grabbed Will's shirt collar and kissed him. "So get back to the infirmary." Nico whispered. "And do something worthwhile." He pushed Will in the direction of the camp and walked away into the other direction, wiping his eyes furiously as he melt into the darkness.

* * *

><strong>PIPER<strong>

Piper was mixing up some of the newly delivered unicorn powder when Annabeth came to her, freaking out about a golden apple and Percy.

"Calm down." Piper patted Annabeth's arm, but even her charmspeak couldn't get to Annabeth.

"He didn't even say where he was going!" Annabeth exclaimed. "How can I be calm?"

"If you're not calm, you won't be able to think logically." Piper reasoned. Soon she was going to freak out herself.

"Logic." Annabeth laughed. "The gods left logic a long time ago."

"Anabeth..." Piper looked at her worriedly. Annabeth's hair was down most days now, tangled and sticking up in places. If Piper didn't know what Annabeth was going through, she would think that Annabeth was crazy.

"We're all dying anyways." Annabeth continued. "It doesn't matter if the gods don't approve of what I say."

"That's what I'm worried of." Piper muttered. She washed her hands and turned to face Annabeth. "Annabeth, you're just depressed. Percy will come back to you. I know he won't leave you all alone." Then Piper looked closer at Annabeth's chin. The slight red of what she thought was acne was actually the beginning of a rash.

"Of course he won't leave me here. I'm just worried that he might do something stupid... Piper, why are you poking my chin?"

"It's a rash." Piper said. "I think you're sick."

* * *

><p><strong>HAZEL<strong>

After a few weeks of "Demigoditus", the fifth cohort-or anywhere in the legion to be honest-didn't look very good. Reyna and Frank seemed to kept their health, despite being in contact with the sick for so long. Hazel was felling okay. She hadn't had any signs of Demigoditus: rashes on the chest and face, coughing, vomit, unconsciousness, and ultimately, death. Hazel heard that Clarisse, the daughter of Mars... Ares... (Who cares anymore?) had died. A day after, Dakota stopped breathing. Hazel sat on her bunk and stared at the red cool-aid stains on Dakota's bunk. The more she stared, the more it looked like blood stains, even though Dakota had been moved to the hospital long before he started coughing up blood.

It was even worse for the second cohort. Only half of the original cohort remained. Monsters barely attacked now, and everyone was too down to really try at the war games. Terminus's statues had stopped talking. The hot chocolate that Frank had bought to cheer her up was cold in her hands. Everything was too gloomy. After a few more minutes of halfhearted staring, Hazel got up and walked outside. She needed some time away from the camp.

Arion arrived at the speed of sound. Some campers stared, then turned their heads and went back to what they were doing before.

"Hey, buddy. How's it going?" She summoned a block of gold and Arion ate it happily. At least someone was happy. "I need a few moments away from here. Can you take me to some kind of quiet place?" The horse whinnied. Hazel took that as a yes and hopped on.

Arion took her out of New Rome and to a remote public beach near the ocean. The sea was gray and angry, and Hazel stayed away from the surf. She kicked at the sand and sat down. Arion neighed loudly and ran around, kicking up mud and sea water.

"Pluto, Hades... Or any god for all I care, do something. Stop this mess." Hazel stared out at the ocean and noticed the ocean backing up, further than it would usually go. Then in a roar the ocean exploded, towering over the beach. Arion raced over and took Hazel away from the beach. Hazel looked back and saw the dark murky water racing towards New Rome. She swear the she could see the figure of a boy in a orange T-shirt before Arion put on speed and the ocean was out of view.


End file.
